The Invitation “ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30 In this season of Daily Connections, Jesus invites us to come to Him—to draw near with our burdens, our questions, and our weariness. In the Gospel of Matthew, we see the long-awaited Messiah fulfilling the promises of old, proclaiming the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven, and offering grace to the humble. Through His teachings and miracles, we meet the gentle and lowly Savior who knows our deepest needs. In the letters of James, Galatians, Romans, Ephesians, and Colossians, we hear the same invitation echoed: to receive the righteousness of Christ by faith, to live no longer under the weight of guilt and performance, but to walk in newness of life. We are called to put off the old self and put on Christ—to let His peace rule in our hearts and His word dwell richly within us. This is the invitation to rest, to renewal, and to intimacy with God. Come to Jesus. He is waiting for you. Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, Pleading for you and for me? Why should we linger and heed not His mercies, Mercies for you and for me? Come home, come home; You who are weary, come home Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling; Calling, O sinner, come home Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling, Will L. Thompson,1880